The four corners of the sky : creation stories and cosmologies from around the world [book review]

Zeitlin, Steve. The Four Corners of the Sky: Creation Stories and Cosmologies from Around the World. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Henry Holt, 2000. ISBN 0-8050-4516-2. $17.00. 135 pp. B 6-12 NF Reviewed by Sharon Kuttler A cosmology is a picture of the universe unique to a culture. Zeitlin retells creation stories and cosmologies from a wide range of both ancient and modern cultures and religions. He also describes current scientific theories regarding the universe, such as Einstein’s special theory of relativity. More than a dozen cultures, including Greek, Maori, Norse, Chinese, Hebrew, and Iroquois, are represented. A brief background of the culture precedes its cosmologies and myths. This book should prove useful in the classroom for the study of creation stories from different cultures. Zeitlin provides extensive source notes and suggestions for further reading. His stories are thoroughly researched and well written. Raschka based his black and white illustrations on actual designs or artifacts indigenous to the groups of people written about. It is disturbing that religion, science, and mythology are intermingled and seemingly regarded equally. In the introduction, the author states, “For the purpose of this book, we believe in all Gods.” The ancient Greek myths are given as much credence as writings in Genesis and the Big Bang Theory. A detailed table of contents does not fully compensate for the lack of an index.

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Zeitlin, Steve. The Four Corners of the Sky: Creation Stories and Cosmologies from Around the World. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Henry Holt, 2000. ISBN 0-8050-4516-2. $17.00. 135 pp. B 6-12 NF Reviewed by Sharon Kuttler A cosmology is a picture of the universe unique to a culture. Zeitlin retells creation stories and cosmologies from a wide range of both ancient and modern cultures and religions. He also describes current scientific theories regarding the universe, such as Einstein’s special theory of relativity. More than a dozen cultures, including Greek, Maori, Norse, Chinese, Hebrew, and Iroquois, are represented. A brief background of the culture precedes its cosmologies and myths. This book should prove useful in the classroom for the study of creation stories from different cultures. Zeitlin provides extensive source notes and suggestions for further reading. His stories are thoroughly researched and well written. Raschka based his black and white illustrations on actual designs or artifacts indigenous to the groups of people written about. It is disturbing that religion, science, and mythology are intermingled and seemingly regarded equally. In the introduction, the author states, “For the purpose of this book, we believe in all Gods.” The ancient Greek myths are given as much credence as writings in Genesis and the Big Bang Theory. A detailed table of contents does not fully compensate for the lack of an index.

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